What we know for sure is that Dot Records is no longer a label, at least for now. What we don’t know about is the fate of some of the artists that called the label home.

Dot Records, which was first formed in 1950 and has released a host of various music styles over the years, was relaunched to be an imprint of Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group in 2014, and has now officially been dissolved. Likely weeks after the plug was pulled, Scott Borchetta confirmed this information to Billboard in an interview with Chris Willman on Thursday (3-23), stating that the Big Machine Label Group had grown too big and was “starting to do a lot of the things that I didn’t like about major labels.” Overall Scott Borchetta estimates that Big Machine has let go “probably 12 or 13 ­artists over the last 16 to 17 months.” The article also says that The Band Perry left the label group “voluntarily.”

We know for sure that certain executives within the Dot organization made the transition to Big Machine proper when Dot was shuttered, while others moved on. We also know that artists Carly Pearce and Tucker Beathard survived the restructuring, because apparently they were more part of Big Machine to begin with. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is not part of the transition from Dot to Big Machine because he was only on a one album deal, Scott Borchetta confirms.

That leaves Maddie & Tae, Drake White, and Staind frontman turned country artist Aaron Lewis with an uncertain future. Season 15 American Idol winner Trent Harmon also is part of the former Dot group. Why can’t we say for sure that these three acts were dropped in the dissolving of Dot? Because Dot Records was a joint venture between the Big Machine Label Group and Universal Music. Since these artists were signed jointly with the two label groups, Universal still could choose to transition one or all of these acts to one of their labels, or sign off on Big Machine taking sole control of their contracts. This means a major label deal might not be over for Maddie & Tae, Drake White, and the others just yet, but must be negotiated between the two labels before they can move forward.

If or when that will happen is anyone’s guess, and in the meantime this leaves the artists on pins and needles, and in limbo. Maddie & Tae burst onto the national scene in 2014 with their blockbuster anti Bro-Country anthem, “Girl in a Country Song.” Since then the duo has struggled to find the same success on country radio, but is still seen as one of the promising up-and-coming acts in country. Drake White is a critical favorite of mainstream country, and was seen as one of Big Machine’s more Americana style new artists, while Aaron Lewis released a decidedly traditional country record called Sinner in 2016, including the protest song “That Ain’t Country.”

Dot Records was very much the Big Machine imprint that catered to artists that didn’t fit the traditional mainstream country mold. Now it remains in question if these artists will have a home in the mainstream at all, while fans of the artists continue to wait for answers.

Yes, but that information has been updated. I remember seeing that as well. Understand, this whole process has been complicated by Big Machine not following the customary protocol on Music Row to publicly disclose what is happening with the label. They did disclose the personnel changes with certain Dot employees going back to Big Machine, and that is how the media first figured out that Dot had likely closed down. But Big Machine left the media to speculate about the fate of Dot and its artists. The reason you usually see these things disclosed to the media is because Music Row is considered a business “campus” where you have many companies whose businesses are intertwined. So employee and label moves are normally disclosed so folks know who is where after a shuffle.

“Things are more complicated for the acts that were joint signees. At press time, it was in Universal’s hands to decide whether Dot acts Maddie & Tae, Drake White, Aaron Lewis and Idol season 15 ­winner Trent Harmon end up on Big Machine, a Universal label or none of the above.

So regarless of what was stated before, it appears Drake White’s fate is still up in the air.

Drake sure appears to be getting a fair bit of publicity this week on BMLG Twitter Accounts (@BMLGINTL and @BigMachine). I doubt they’d be doing that if they didn’t expect him to end up under their management out of this one way or another. Then again, I guess it could all be for negotiating purposes with Universal if the situation truly isn’t resolved.

“Hipsters”? Really? Sorry, dude that was in a Terrible Nu-metal band 18 years ago who’s career torpedoed when that died out and tried to be Kid Rock II with some C-list country songs doesn’t really seem like the demo for this site. Kinda hard to call most people who roll their eyes at this crap “hipsters”.

what does being in staind got to do with anything???? Conway twitty started out in rock and roll and went on to have decades long lucrative country career and so did jerry lee lewis… maybe you should listen to his song momma that he wrote and tell me that his music is shit.

Likewise Raymond . Their record is a favorite of mine since it came out . Youthful perspectives ? Of course …but honest , clever , thoughtful songs of substance with terrific vocals and GREAT arrangements maintaining traditions of the genre like few ‘ mainstreamers ‘ seem able to do .I think it would be sad not to see them have the chance to gain a stronger foothold within the industry after that strong display of backbone from these hard-working and focused artists .

Wow, that is so sad. They are my favorite duo, and Start Here is one of my favorite albums. Smoke, Shut Up and Fish, and Sierra are amazing songs. Maybe someone else will pick them up. They’d be crazy not to.